What do you do when you forget that God works the night shift? You stay awake at night, restlessly tossing and turning. You think a lot, but it’s usually negative, unproductive thinking. You look into the future, but the darkness obscures everything. The smallest shadow appears to be the reflection of a giant monster. You see the worst case scenario. And you worry, and you worry, and you worry some more.
But the real question is what you should do when you are tempted to forget what your really know. And may I ask–what do you really know? You know that God doesn’t go to sleep on the night shift. You know that the darkness intensifies everything, including your fears, your worries, your feelings about failure and rejection. All of that you know–at least theoretically. But just knowing that morning is coming doesn’t necessarily shut out the darkness.
One night when I really forgot God works the night shift, I got out of bed and found my Bible. I will never forget turning to I Samuel 28 and 29 in the Old Testament. There I read about David who encountered some very difficult circumstances. While David and the men who had rallied to his side were away from home, the Amalekites kidnapped their wives and children. When they got home, David’s men turned on him.
And what was David’s response? "But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God," says the King James Version text. Nothing more? No. He didn’t say, "Look, men, I couldn’t help this. Don’t blame me." Or say, "All right. Let’s come up with a plan."
When you forget that God works the night shift, get out of bed. Don’t head for the refrigerator or click the button that brings your dark TV screen to life. Open the Book instead, and get your eyes on the Lord–not on your circumstances. Feelings and emotions usually lie to you when you forget that God works the night shift. Simply put, things almost always appear worse than they are. The darkness of the night shift makes you lose sight of how important you are in God’s sight.
What does it mean to encourage yourself in the Lord? David redirected his focus from the darkness that confronted him to what God had done in the past. He focused on the nature and character of God, not on his failure. He remembered what we sometimes forget, that God does not abandon or forsake us when all hell breaks loose and the darkness seems to overwhelm us.
Friend, have you forgotten that God still works the night shift? Read I Samuel 29 and 30, and encourage yourself in the Lord. And remember, He’s on duty 24 hours a day. - Resource Reading: 1 Samuel 30